the green gal

Pretty and planet-friendly finds: EcoCentric

I'm writing this week's pretty and planet-friendly find post while it's 0º outside and with a roaring fire inside, so it's safe to say I'm feeling quite wintery. And that's probably why I'm drawn to the warm, cosy products on today's gem – the web shop ecocentric.co.uk. This website has so many fabulously stylish items it was a real challenge to narrow down the choice to just three:

tea light holder, blanket, wallpaper

I love snuggling under a blanket on a chilly evening and EcoCentric has several pure wool beauties to choose from. The one above is made from rare breed Jacob wool using traditional looms in Scotland, and as each sheep's colouring is unique, so is each blanket. I'm really rather taken with this mustardy yellow wallpaper, it would look fab as a feature wall, plus it's printed with eco-friendly inks on PEFC paper. And what's a firelit evening without a spot of candle light too, would you have guessed it's recycled glass?

Stylish and sustainable, I love it.

Settle for a settle

I've just taken delivery of a gorgeous new piece of furniture. It's a settle. Now, I had no idea that is what a piece of furniture like this is called. I thought it was a cross between a church pew and a bench you'd find in a country pub. But nope, settle it is. Sounds like it belongs in a pub's snug but instead it stands against a wall in my dining room. 

I happened across the shop I bought it from when I was looking around the lovely village of Petworth in West Sussex. Oakapple Trading Company sells a variety of wooden furniture as well as other various bits and pieces to adorn and embellish your home. One of their suppliers is responsible for the lovely settle I bought. He lives on the Isle of Wight, makes each piece of furniture by hand to order and uses only reclaimed wood. My settle is made from old pine floorboards! And when his van is full of his furniture he drives over to West Sussex to deliver it to the shop.

So, my lovely new piece of furniture was created by a talented, independent craftsman in the UK, without chopping down any trees! And for a very reasonable price, I might add. Good feelings included free.

For more info, check out www.oakappletrading.co.uk

(BTW the dining table and chairs used to belong to hubbie's brother and his uncle before that - a fully recycled dining set!)